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Re: Need roto-rooter for TR-6...

To: key@cs.utk.edu
Subject: Re: Need roto-rooter for TR-6...
From: Dick Nyquist <dickn@hpspdln.spd.hp.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 91 9:36:07 PDT

| 
| Well, I finally got around to taking my head off my '73 TR-6, 
| but not until after a bad boil-over.  One problem, though, the 
| block drain won't drain.  This, of course, caused quite a mess 
| when I did get the head off the block (the block still in the car).
| The water does move around the channels, it just won't drain down, 
| so I don't think this is the source of my overheating problem.  
| Has anyone run into this before and/or have a pat solution?
| What do I need to be careful of down there if I go poking 
| around with coat-hanger wire?
| 


| 
| I'll be cleaning the head up and checking for warpage tonight.
| Should I consider getting it 'fluxed since I toasted it?  Or
| on general principle?  Pull the valves?  




Ken 
Unless the gasket were blown or the head cracked I doubt your going 
to find the cause of your problem is the head. But since you now have it off
you might as well do a valve job. As to poking in the block water passages with 
a
coat hanger, no problem. The first place you should start is the drain on
the passenger side of the block (over the starter). if it won't drain
unscrew it from the block, and poke in the resulting hole until you get a steady
stream of water. Once you have the water out of the block, you can take a 
flashlight and look in the water jackets (Don't expect to find much of
interest.)

TR engines are pretty robust. A little boil over shouldn't have done much
to your engine. Provide you didn't actually drive it with no water or no
oil, chances are no long term damage was done.

Some of the causes of overheating I can think of include:

        1 leaking cooling system(do you know if your car was actually loosing
        coolant, aside from the overflow due to boiling.

        2 Lack of pressure in the cooling system(water boils at a lower temp
        when it's at a lower pressure.)

        3 Badly set spark timing.

        4 poorly ajusted carb mixture.

        5 Plugged up radiator(or anything else that prevents coolant 
circulation)

        5a bad thermostat.

        6 anything that makes the engine run poorly(like a spark plug not 
firing)

After you find it and fix it, consider adding an oil cooler. The engine will run
much cooler in general.

good luck/dickn

PS since you've had the head off and water, and maybe bit of other things got 
into
your oil system, don't forget to change your oil and filter before you start 
the 
engine,


PPS It's not recommended to use any sealant on the head gasket.


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